Henri Matisse had a nickname for his friend Albert Marquet: notre Hokusai, "our Hokusai." It was not a joke about Japan. Marquet drew a city the way Hokusai drew a wave. A few lines, a high viewpoint, weather doing most of the work. From 22 September to 13 December 2026, SOMPO Museum in Nishi-Shinjuku hangs about 90 paintings and drawings that make that nickname feel obvious.
Grey, not wild colour
Marquet (1875–1947) sat in the same Gustave Moreau classroom as Matisse. He showed with the Fauves in 1905. Then he stepped sideways. Where Matisse pushed pure colour, Marquet kept looking at the thing in front of him. Japanese writers still talk about Marquet no gri, Marquet grey. It is not empty grey. It is the colour of the Seine on a wet Tuesday, mixed so the next building, boat, or stripe of awning can sit on top of it without shouting.
He painted the same stretch of water again and again. From his Paris window. From a balcony in Algiers. From a hotel in Naples. Time of day changes, the skeleton of the view does not. Matisse’s Hokusai line is that habit: cut the scene to structure, leave the weather in. Bordeaux, Le Havre, Hiroshima, and private lenders in France and Japan have sent the oils and about 25 drawings that show how far he took it. The late Pont-Neuf pictures, fog and snow included, are the quiet centre of the hang.
Look from a tower, then walk into one
The museum sits in the Sompo Japan building at 1-26-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, five minutes from Shinjuku Station west exit. After you leave, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatory is a short walk west. Marquet loved a high, slightly detached view of water and roofs. Standing over Shinjuku’s grid after an hour of his harbours is the closest this neighbourhood gets to his method. That pairing is the point of seeing this show here, not in a quieter ward.
One scheduling trap: the museum is closed on Thursday 24 September, the same night as the Mori no Takigi Noh at Shinjuku Gyoen. Do not try to stack them. Fridays run until 20:00, last entry 19:30, which is the sane slot if you are already in the west-exit department stores. Drawings swap on 1 and 3 November. If you care about the ink work, pick a period and go twice. The pair ticket at ¥3,400 (two adult entries, on sale until 21 September) is built for that.
Who this suits
School students get in free. Anyone 25 or under pays ¥1,200 at the door, ¥1,100 in advance, with ID. Adults 26 and over pay ¥2,000 / ¥1,800. The audio guide is ¥700 and uses voice actor Toshiki Masuda, sometimes speaking as Marquet. There is no group rate. The galleries are fully accessible. Sketch only in pencil. Full hours, closed days, and ticket codes sit on the event page.
Practical Details
- Dates: 22 September – 13 December 2026
- Time: 10:00–18:00 (Fridays until 20:00). Last entry 30 minutes before close
- Venue: SOMPO Museum, 1-26-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8338
- Nearest station: Shinjuku Station west exit (JR, Odakyu, Keio, Metro), about 5 minutes on foot
- Price: Adults 26+ ¥2,000 (advance ¥1,800); 25 and under ¥1,200 (advance ¥1,100); elementary–high school free
- Website: SOMPO Museum official exhibition page
- Hours, closures, tickets: Albert Marquet event page
